Kenometer Laser power meter

[The_Doctor]

Post deleted, to avoid time wasting.

[laserwinkel]

Looks like the meter is ready now?
you mentioned you had a heatsink so the meter could go up to 20W
could you send me a PM for the pro + heatsink?
price with shipping to the netherlands?

[MarioMaster]

The Kenometer Pro and USB only work with lasers up to 5 watts. There may be another version in the future to support higher laser powers.

[Kenom]

The datasheet on the thermopile says 20 Watts if conduction cooled by heat sink The heatsink I've selected actually connects with the head on 3 different surfaces, so will provide very good heatsinking.

Oh and here are some screen shots of the software.
Okay, here's a run-through of logging data from your Kenometer using Luminosity.

WARNING! Big-image heavy!

http://www.devcrate.com/laser/Luminosity/Tutorial/1.png This is what you see when you first launch the software, minus the data and current reading windows. To show those, drop down "View."


http://www.devcrate.com/laser/Luminosity/Tutorial/2.png Connect to the meter via "Meter" -> "Connection" -> "Connect."


http://www.devcrate.com/laser/Luminosity/Tutorial/3.png When you connect to the meter, you will immediately begin seeing the current reading streaming in.


http://www.devcrate.com/laser/Luminosity/Tutorial/4.png Create a new graph by using "Meter" -> "Graphing" -> "Start."


http://www.devcrate.com/laser/Luminosity/Tutorial/5.png This window will appear for you to fill in relevant information. You will need to name your graph, fill in the projected max power (it will auto-fit when complete; this is so that the initial graph window is the right size for you to view the trend as you graph), state how long to test, the threshold at which to begin logging (0mW to begin immediately, or a higher setting so that the software detects your laser), whether or not to show peak and average on the graph when complete, and finally the line color.


http://www.devcrate.com/laser/Luminosity/Tutorial/6.png These are my settings to meter my Viasho Lab Laser; it outputs 1.5W average with a peak between 1.5W and 1.9W so I chose 2000mW. I set the threshold at 100mW so that I could fire it up, align it on the thermophile at low power, then turn up the power from there.


http://www.devcrate.com/laser/Luminosity/Tutorial/7.png Luminosity then renders a graph and waits for the meter reading to pass the threshold.


http://www.devcrate.com/laser/Luminosity/Tutorial/8.png Here you can see the power has passed my threshold setting and Luminosity has begun logging data.


http://www.devcrate.com/laser/Luminosity/Tutorial/9.png Here you can see the completed graph, with the peak and average labeled on the graph. Near the end of the graph you see the output beginning to settle.

[Tonix]

interesting to buy

[plexus]

I would like to vouch for this LPM. I bought one a couple months back and have been using it quite a lot. It is an excellent meter. I have yet to compare it to a friend's commercial meter in terms of accuracy but I am pretty sure its accurate. In terms of features, it is fantastic. And for the price... a great value. I have the Pro unit. You can see many shots of the meter in use in various posts in www.laserlightforums.com, also video.

Kenom was great to deal with. The meter was backordered but arrived when I was told it would. It was packed well and had everything needed to get started with it. I have needed only minor post-sales support and Kenom was great to deal with for that as well. Very prompt and accommodating.

[edison]

Is it possible to show some pictures from the inside? I have seen some earlier pictures and i wondered if the wiring inside is a little bit better now. I,m in need of a meter in a month and i,m a little bit picky in terms of finish and quality.

[plexus]

Is it possible to show some pictures from the inside? I have seen some earlier pictures and i wondered if the wiring inside is a little bit better now. I,m in need of a meter in a month and i,m a little bit picky in terms of finish and quality.

i will open it up and take some pictures. i am an electronics hobbyist of some 25 years and so i will include some observations. i know there is a lot of wiring in the kenometer pro but if its soldered and insulated sufficiently it should be fine. low signal wires should be shielded. i'll put some notes with the pictures.

[plexus]

here are some kenometer pro build pics from my unit. the wiring is good quality silicone insulated wire. i think the manually built headers are a labour of love. sure ribbon cables would look neater, but i think this method works just fine even if its not the neatest it can be. clearly there are number of parts to this meter and i think ken did a decent job of building these. i have no problem with hot glue - after all its one of the main forces of nature.

in terms of hot glue skill, ken obviously has skill here. he is using a good quality high temp hot glue that bonds well. the glue beads are quite ample and will be secure. ken hand builds these meters and they are a good representation of a decent DIY build. in order to offer a meter like this so cheap, it appears he has opted to take a more DIY approach than to get cases and electronics custom made. so if you want a tidier looking unit inside, the costs would probably double. frankly, i think the build quality is very good, does the job and for the price can't be beat (compared to other competing non-commercial units being offered).

However, I understand that Kenometers are not going to be made anymore because the inexpensive surplus ophir thermopiles ken was using are not available. maybe ken can give a sense of the current status?

all in all, i think this meter is very good. the features and quality make the price a very good deal. i have used this meter quite a bit in the last 2 months to do a number of measurements and graphing which you can find on my site www.laserlightforums.com

one last point relating to electrical noise isolation. first of all i am not 100% familiar specifically with LPM design, however i do have decades of electronic hobbyist experience including high end audio where EMF isolation is also important. i understand the issue with the kenometer design in terms of noise on the sensor line and what appears to be a buffer circuit. from what i understand the ophir thermopile takes +/- 5-18V power input and i assume outputs a voltage proportional to the supply voltage. i measured 12.55V input to the thermopile unit. so i think any EMF noise would be minimal in terms of measurement. EMF might cause an issue in the other circuitry however i have not seen any evidence of this causing sporadic readings. all the readings i have taken have been very stable.

[Tonix]

looks good. but what about work quality and precision?